New Anaheim playground all in a day's work

Chris Runco, left, Shontrell Weaver, center, and Sabra McGee, right, help put up a new slide at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim on Monday. More than 200 volunteers put up a new playground in about eight hours. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Kaboom at Schweitzer Park

185-200: Volunteers who helped put together the equipment

6: Hours to build the playground

4: Parks built by Kaboom in Orange County

3: Parks built by Kaboom in Anaheim

1: Park built by Kaboom in Garden Grove

2,000-plus: Parks built by Kaboom

Graphics

ANAHEIM – Volunteers mixed concrete, shoveled wood chips, and assembled swings and slides Monday as they built a new playground in Schweitzer Park.

The playground is Anaheim's third from Kaboom, a nonprofit group that promotes and builds playgrounds across North America. Its Anaheim playgrounds are also supported by community members, the city, the YMCA and Disney.

Schweitzer was chosen to get a new playground because its existing one was old, and the organizations wanted to do a project in west Anaheim, said John Guastaferro, a spokesman for Anaheim Family YMCA.

The park was designed by children from Dr. Albert Schweitzer School in January. Some ideas, including a giant fish, didn't make it into the final plans. But others, including a zip line, were included in the project Monday.

Students also helped out at the park Monday, painting decorations. Erica Thomas, an 11-year-old sixth-grader, painted square plaques that will be hung on a fence as well as direction signs with fake street names, like "Hero Avenue."

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Chris Runco, left, Shontrell Weaver, center, and Sabra McGee, right, help put up a new slide at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim on Monday. More than 200 volunteers put up a new playground in about eight hours. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Luis Lobato, right, with Heisler Landscaping, helps lead a crew of volunteers as they put up new playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim in about eight hours Monday. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Volunteers carry a new slide to its destination Monday at Schweitzer Park. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Schweitzer Elementary School students Amiyah Thompson, 10, left, and Diego Zavala, 11, right, sing and dance as show their gratitude to volunteers who put up a new playground. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kids run by a newly constructed playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim on Monday. The playground cannot be played on for 72 hours. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Mickey appeared for the dedication of a newly constructed playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim on Monday. Kaboom and Disney joined together to spearhead Monday's building event. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Schweitzer Elementary School pre-kindergarten teacher Wendy OKeil gets kids excited about the newly constructed playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kids from Schweitzer Elementary School sit around the newly completed playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Volunteer and neighborhood resident Jose Morales cheers on volunteers during the construction of a new playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim. " I love it," said Morales, a 37-year resident, who said he looks forward to bringing his grandson to play at the park. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kids from Schweitzer Elementary School cheer the volunteers during a dedication for the completed playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim on Monday. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Kids from Schweitzer Elementary School walk around the newly completed playground at Schweitzer Park in Anaheim on Monday. ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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